Friday, July 20

In my previous post – Septimus Heap – I mentioned the seven book series Septimus Heap by Angie Sage and the fact that Warner Bros. have just signed the film rights. As a result of this contract people are hoping or expecting that Septimus Heap series will repeat the phenomenal success of the J K Rowling franchise.

Angie Sage's books are already international best-sellers and have been translated into 28 languages and given the public's love of all things magykal the films, which will undoubtedly be well-produced by Warner Bros., may well find as many fans as the Harry Potter films. After all new children are coming along all the time !

Autographed first editions of either the US or the UK edition of the books may well prove to be a sound long-term investment, as it is already becoming increasingly difficult to find signed First Editions of the first three books in the series, Magyk, Flyte and Physik.

In addition the Angie Sage PR machine seems to be getting underway, as she was interviewed on Sky News at mid-day today.

Tunnels

Another book which is causing a great stir is Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. As reported in the Hollywood Reporter, Relativity Media have already acquired franchise rights to develop and produce a series of films
Tunnels was first self-published in 2005 by Roderick Gordon and Brian Wilson under the title The Highfield Mole. It was subsequently published by Chicken House under the name Tunnels after undergoing some editing. Tunnels was released in the UK July 2, 2007 and is due to be released in the United States on January 1, 2008. The authors have already finished the second book in the series and are working on the third.

Their marketing campaign was rather unusual, Roderick Gordon says "I even went around leaving copies on buses and in taxis, and also carefully placing them on benches and in trees in the various parks that I visited with my children so someone would spot them and might take them home to look at. I reckon the squirrels were a little bemused when they chanced upon the tree copies!"

At the moment the only signed copy I can see is on offer at AbeBooks for £1,595.00 maybe I should check out a few parks !

Relativity hope to get several hit films from the novels and replicate the success of the "Harry Potter" series. "Tunnels" has more than $1 million in advance sales and prepublication rights in more than 21 languages.

The original self-published version is obviously the more valuable investment. As far as I have been able to discover there were 500 hardback copies printed and 2000 soft covers. A number of the copies were signed by the authors and 80 copies of the 500-copy hardback run were numbered and signed as part of a "Remarque" edition. These copies have a hand-drawn illustration by Brian Williams, an inscription by Roderick Gordon, and are signed by both authors. There is also a "Colony Leather Bound Edition" of ten hardbacks, numbered and signed, with a hand-drawn picture by Brian Williams bound into the book. (Wikipedia)

The authors on their website say that there are a number of errors in the Wikipedia description, but as Wikipedia is open access, they could just log in, change the errors and give the definitive chronology of events.

The book may well prove to be a good long-term investment of which The Oracle of Omaha himself would be proud if you can find one at a reasonable price. The most expensive J K Rowling on Abebooks at the moment is being offered for £ 245,000 although the second mos expensive is only £ 36,000 !

Monday, July 16

First Edition Books
Septimus Heap (Magyk) by Angie Sage Good Investment for Collectors of First Editions after Film Rights Sale

If you are looking for a First Edition book to invest in then you could do worse than to have a close look at Magyk by Angie Sage. Why? Because Warner Bros. Pictures has just announced (12 July 2007) they have acquired the feature film rights to the seven-book fantasy series, Septimus Heap - the seventh son of a seventh son.

Signed first editions by Angie Sage, should therefore start to move north soon, as the filn deal does not appear to be general knowledge yet.

Magyk was the first in the series and Angie Sage has already written part II Flyte and Part III Physik. These books are all worldwide bestsellers and have been translated into 28 languages. Warner Bros. has made a lot of money from the Harry Potter films but they need something to replace them and have decided Septimus Heap is a good bet. More magic, mystery and wizardry with more humour thrown in in Angie Sage’s inimitable style.

The forthcoming film will be produced by Karen Rosenfelt who also produced the Devil Wears Prada with Angie Sage as Executive Producer.The Septimus Heap series tells the story of two babies that are switched at birth: one, a boy who discovers his birthright as the seventh son of a seventh son, and ultimately, a powerful wizard; the other, a girl who is destined to become Princess. Their stories are set in a weird and wonderful fairy-tale England and their journeys of self-discovery are filled with hilarious characters and clever charms, potions and spells."We are delighted that Warner Bros. will be creating films from the Septimus Heap series," said Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books (I bet they are !) « the producers share our belief that the world of Septimus Heap is … unlike anything else in children's fantasy."Magyk was first published in the US by Katherine Tegen Books an imprint of HarperCollins in March 2005 and then Bloomsbury purchased the UK publication rights from them. Magyk was published in the UK just a few weeks after the US version was published.. It was an international bestseller. It moved straight into the New York Times Best Sellers List at no. 3 and moved to no. 1 in its second week.
The book has also appeared on the bestseller lists in France, Sweden, Spain, and the UK.

As the US version is the first edition you might think it would be better to obtain the US first edition, but this is not necessarily so. Susanna Clarke’s book Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell was published first in the US but it is the UK version which gets the highest prices.

Magyk was also published in the UK in a special limited edition of just 1000 numbered copies, these will be more expensive and a better investment than the ordinary signed copies.

I wouldn’t expect Angie Sage’s books to command the same price as J K Rowling’s first editions, but they ought nevertheless be worth significantly more than they are at the moment. They are also quite hard to find, eBay – my primary source for cheap first editions doesn’t seem to have any at the moment.

Friday, July 13

Formula One Opus - Special Edition Book

News just out of an impressive not to say extraordinary First Edition book

Hatchards Special Editions

Hatchards is pleased to be able to offer the following Special Edition:FORMULA ONE OPUS - CHAMPION'S EDITION - £20,000

The Formula One Opus is a rare and unusual book; a celebration of over a century of motor racing, the definitive story of a sport that has seduced the rich and famous through the decades. Painstaking research, original interviews and specially commissioned photography brings the world of Formula One motor racing to life.

The Formula One Opus is half a metre square, contains over 800 pages and weighs over 30 kilos. It contains over 1,500 photographs and 200,000 words written by a selection of the finest motor racing writers in the world to ensure the quality and originality of the editorial. The publishers have scoured the archives of photographic agencies and private collections worldwide to uncover rare and previously unpublished gems and commissioned shoots by some of the industry's most highly-regarded photographers. Words and images are printed on the finest 200gsm paper stock and enhanced by the use of silver leafing, spot varnishing and fifth-and sixth-colour processing. The Opus is bound in the finest leather and delivered in a beautifully crafted presentation box. This Champion's Edition, which retails for £20,000, is restricted to 100 copies worldwide. Each copy contains a page bearing the signatures of all the living Formula One World Champions (18 in total). This unique signature page has never before been attempted in the history of Formula One and is a true collector's piece.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY DUE FOR PUBLICATION IN DECEMBER.

To place an advance order for the above title then you will have to visit the Special Editions section of the Hatchard's website, www.hatchards.co.uk. Pleasenote that this title is only available to order through the website and notthrough the shop. If you do decide to buy one please mention that you heard about it through this site - they might pay me a commission !

Wednesday, June 20

Bookshops apparently charge publishers for promoting their books. Why don't the publishers refuse? Well because they can't basically. Bookshops (inc. supermarket chains) have a monopoly on selling books.

Did you think bookshops promoted books in their storefronts out of the goodness of their hearts or because they liked the book ? Well, so did I. But apparently it ain’t so - full article by Nigel Reynolds here Telegraph

Waterstone's has admitted that it sometimes "asks" for £45,000 ($90,000) from publishers to promote books in its stores. They deny however that the money influences their decisions about which titles to recommend to buyers. Hmmm do I detect some Alice in Wonderland logic at work here ?

Allegedly a document has been leaked sent by Waterstone’s to UK publishers in which it allegedly gives a range of rates it is requesting in exchange for heavy promotion in the weeks and months leading up to Christmas, something to do with joining in the Christmas spirit I believe. Who leaked the document and to whom is what we would really like to know! And did they get a fee? (Perish the thought).

How much would it cost, allegedly? Well, £45,000 ($90,000) per title it appears. According to the document, Waterstone's would place six titles in ‘windows, front-of-house displays and in a national advertising campaign.’

If you can’t afford £45,000 then shame on you, but there is special rate of £25,000 ($50,000), for which the chain will allegedly feature a title in a front-of-store bay as a "gift book", and at tills. Still too much ? Then for £17,000 ($34,000), a book would be displayed as one of two "offers of the week" for one week in the run-up to Christmas.

Still too much !? Then for a mere £7,000 ($14,000) allegedly, they will ensure a book is promoted as a ‘Paperback of the Year’ and be included in newspaper ads., while for a veritable Scrooge-like £500 ($1,000) (who are these cheapskates ?) a book would be included in Waterstone's Christmas gift guide, along with a bookseller review.

Readers, like myself, whiling away their time in their ivory towers, may have liked to believe that titles were recommended based on a retailer's judgement (I did). It appears, however, that such practices are allegedly standard throughout the book industry. One supermarket chain is apparently studying the possibility of charging publishers just for the right to have a book on its shelves. So the publisher has to pay to sell its books at supermarket prices, which are well-known to be extremely low. They could also charge customers for the right to walk through the door like they do at car boot sales!

Is there any profit in all this ? I guess there must be. But it just goes to show that without exposure, one is stuffed don't you know! Why don’t publishers open their own bookshops in which they could also sell vegetables? Who knows? Certainly not I (any book publishers reading this please note there is a £25,000 consultancy fee for that piece of advice).

How can they get away with it you may ask ? Well, by blackmail basically. According to the Chairman of Quercus Books, Anthony Cheetham, if you say 'no' the retailer drops its order from 1,000 copies down to 20 ! Looks like they’ve got the publishers over a barrel to me. If I were a publisher I would join forces with other publishers and set up direct-sales online bookstores pretty quick (any book publishers reading this please note there is a £50,000 consultancy fee for that piece of advice).

Waterstone's denied however that they have been selling favours. According to a spokesman its "recommended titles” are picked by its own "experts" and only thereafter were publishers asked to “make a contribution” to the cost of promotion. How could they refuse such a generous offer?

The company stated: "A publisher cannot buy a promotional slot at Waterstone's”, allegedly.

Monday, April 16

A new book by J.R.R. Tolkien is a rare event, particularly as he has been dead for over 30 years, but there will be one on sale tomorrow.

His son Christopher Tolkien has used his father's manuscripts to construct "The Children of Hurin".

The story has been told in fragments in "The Silmarillion", and the new book is darker than Toliien's best known works "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings".

The story takes place in the distant past long before "The Lord of the Rings" in a part of Middle-earth that was drowned long before the Hobbits appeared. It tells the tale of brother and sister Turin and Nienor who are cursed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord.

The initial worldwide print run for the new book, featuring illustrations by Oscar-winner Alan Lee, was 500,000.

In another development "The Hobbit" is also likely to be made into a movie.

It is estimated that worldwide sales of "The Lord of the Rings" amunt to 150 million copies, with 50 million of these taking place since the films were released in 2001.

"The Children of Hurin" may well be the last "new" Tolkien work to be published.

On Ebay recently a so-called First Edition Twelfth Impression (i.e. not a first edition at all) sold for £148.00

On Abebooks true firsts from 1954 are priced at between £8,500 and £32,000 . The first edition of the Children of Hurin is unlikely to command high prices, particularly so as they are publishing 500,000 copies, but no doubt Tolkien collectors will be buying a few.

Update : Hatchards are offering a special edition of THE CHILDREN OF HURIN - DELUXE EDITION BY J.R.R.TOLKIEN, EDITED BY CHRISTOPHER TOLKIEN for £60

It includes a new Map of Beleriand drawn by Christopher Tolkien, in the form of a fold-out sheet, 8 colour paintings, 25 pencil sketches plus an exclusive colour frontispiece painting, by artist Alan Lee. This edition is in blue with grey boards, stamped in gold foil with a unique motif of the Helm of Hador, and housed in a matching custom-built slipcase. The book is printed on superior quality paper. THESE ARE FIRST EDITIONS BUT THEY ARE NOT SIGNED.

Friday, April 13

First Edition Books - The Pitter-patter of Tiny Potters - Record pre-orders expected for Harry Potter

J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series, is due to go on sale on July 21, no doubt amidst much media hype again. According to UK bookseller Waterstone's and US bookstore Barnes & Noble it has received "phenomenal" interest.

Waterstone's say that pre-orders are already ahead of the record 100,000 set 2 years ago by the sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the US, Barnes & Noble said yesterday that it has taken more than 500,000 pre-orders - the "highest figure for any book in its history". So quite an achievement really and no doubt music to the ears of all concerned, particularly the publisher Bloomsbury whose share price has been taking a bit of a battering recently.

Barnes & Noble expects this figure to increase to 1 million over the next couple of months.

Amazon.com has already recorded over 485,000 pre-orders and expects this to increase to 1 million too.

Interest is even higher this time than for the previous books, if that is possible, a) because it is the final volume and b) because J K Rowling has revealed that 2 characters will die. A rather odd thing to reveal I think, but what do I know!?

Tesco, which is now a major outlet for books in the UK, anticipates "Pottermania on a scale not seen before".

They are predicting sales of over 350,000 copies in the first 12 hours! Has the world gone mad ? And they have a "dedicated team" (if you've been to Tesco's late at night you know what that means) working to get the book on the shelves on the stroke of midnight in over 300 stores ! So stay away from Tesco stores on 21 July if you don't want to be mobbed by hordes of noisy kids. The last Potter book sold 400,000 copies in the first 24 hours in case you had forgotten.

Waterstone's also plans to have almost all its stores open at midnight. Whoever it was that came up with the idea of selling books at midnight to excited kids deserves a medal from the publishing industry!

A interesting snippet if you want intend getting yourself a copy or two,- the recommended retail price is £17.99, but if you pre-order you only pay around half that amount £8,99 from Amazon, with free delivery if the total order exceeds £15. You heard it here first! Maybe. See Amazon link on left.

Smaller booksellers have said that they cannot match these prices so may not stock the book. According to some booksellers it would be cheaper for them to buy it like everybody else from supermarkets or Amazon and then try and sell them on.

From a collector's point of view the seventh book is not such a big deal. The ones to look for are signed First Edition books of the first three books, especially the very first as there were so few copies printed of the first edition, as she was not expected to sell many and Bloomsbury were taking a bit of a gamble. Basically, they got lucky, a bit like EMI with the Beatles, who Decca refused to sign up as they thought they had no future!

If you want to invest in Harry Potter books have a look on Ebay for signed copies of the early books, especially ones that people have listed in the wrong category. They should really be listed under 'signed first editions' but sometimes people just stick them in 'children's books'. So sometimes you can get lucky. You also want hard copies preferably, that have not been read and are in pristine condition. You can check out the prices on Abebooks (see link) to see if the Ebay prices are a bargain or not.

You might also consider buying shares in Bloomsbury (BMY), they have been falling steadily now that the Potter series is coming to an end, but they might have one last flourish as the publcation date approaches. I guess there is also the possibility of another series from the 'pen' of Ms Rowling?

What will she do with all that dosh? Hmmm who knows, but she will certainly be climbing futher up the Forbes' rich list. Is she still single?

Thursday, April 12

First Edition Books - Recent First Edition Book Prices

Trading first edition books is one of the many ways you can make money online Some of the prices obtained recently for autographed First Edition books on Ebay - prices seem to me at the moment to be quite low - maybe people spent all their money at Christmas ? Lots of signed Paul McCartney books have appeared all of a sudden - I am tempted to speculate about who might be selling them and why, but I had probably best keep my thoughts to myself :-)

Paolini always sells well, but prices seem to have dropped recently, so maybe a good time to do a bit of online investing in some cheap copies - his next book, the third in the trilogy, is due out this summer.

A very old book - 1499 De Interpretandis Romanorum litteris / INCUNABULA - just sold for $3850.00 - time to check out what's in the attic ?

On a sadder note, I have just heard that Kurt Vonnegut one of the greatest American authors of the 20th Century has died.

Tuesday, March 20

I have just been engaged in something of a mini-dispute with Ebay, relating to a listing of mine they removed. I was going to write a vitriolic post about my Kafkaesque battles with their computers and how they don't listen, but now I can't because, wonder of wonders, someone from Ebay actually listened and even apologized.

"All related fees were credited for the original listing, and you will need to re-list the item for it to show up in the search results and receive new bids. We have also left a note on your file indicating that the error was ours.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Regards,"

They didn't actually sign it, which is odd, but they did admit they were wrong!

The story is quite long and convoluted, but if you are or intend to be an Ebay seller it could be of interest, as one day it might happen to you! You have been warned!

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

I listed an Ebook of recipes for sale on Ebay.co.uk

A few hours later I received an email signed "Ebay Trust & Safety" informing me that my listing had been removed because it breached "one or more" of Ebay's policies. They like to be vague.

I wrote back to Ebay informing them that I had read their policies and my listing did not breach any of them, because the information in my Ebook was already in the public domain (This is one of the recognized exceptions in the Ebay rules). I therefore asked them to reinstate my listing.

This is where it gets interesting. Two days later I received a reply stating "We removed your listing because it breached our policy on Downloadable Media". There then followed a long email telling me to read their rules and guidelines and containing the threat that if I relisted such items repeatedly I could be banned. This e-mail had all the hallmarks of a computer-generated response although it was signed by 'Ben'

I replied to 'Ben' stating that in my opinion nobody had bothered to read my e-mail and repeating my argument that the information in my Ebook was in the pubic domain and asking him therefore to re-instate my listing.

Two days later I received another reply from 'Ben' who said he would be happy to assist me further, by sending me another computer-generated reply and repeating the same assertions as in the previous 2 emails. Hmmm how helpful!

I wrote to Ben again asking him to give me precise information as to the way in which my listing breached Ebay guidelines.

Two days later I received a reply from 'Tawny' in which she(?) said that she was unable to give precise details as to why etc... and that I should read the Ebay policy on etc ... This still sounded like a computer-generated e-mail to me. Couldn't be a brush off could it ?

I wrote back to Tawny/Ebay Computer copying and pasting words and phrases from her own e-mail in a cunning attempt to accentuate the unreal and surrealist ambiance of this whole 'interaction' and re-stating my arguments and also that I believed her e-mail to have been generated by a computer which had not read my previous e-mails

The next day I received an e-mail from 'Charles' in which he said, surprise surprise, "We removed your listing because it breached our policy on Downloadable Media" and advising me to read the Ebay rules. This e-mail seemed even more like a computer-generated non-response than the previous one, and at this point I thought I was actually going backwards or my emails had fallen into an Ebay-generated black hole.

I wrote to 'Charles' saying absolutely nothing - I merely copied two lines from his own e-mail and sent it back to him, to see what would happen next, so to speak. :-)

The same day I received an e-mail from 'Leslie' stating (if you haven't already guessed) "I have furtehr (sic) reviewed your item and found the appropriate action was taken in this instance. Your item was removed because it breached our Downloadable Media policy". Note the spelling mistake, was this actually typed by a human being or was it a deliberate mistake thrown in to make me believe that it was? Hmmm - I have my doubts.

I replied to 'Leslie' although I did not address him/her/ by name - I did not bother saying anything, I merely copied and pasted a paragraph from his own email and added the word 'Really??' with question marks for added effect.

The next day I received a reply from 'Philomena' in which she confirmed that 'the appropriate action had been taken' and adding at the end of the email "Please note that although future emails from you will be read, we will not respond unless they contain additional information for review."

I replied to Philomena. This time I included some 'additional information for review' just in case, and because I thought from the tone of the email that Philomena might actually be a person (perhaps I am too gullible?), I repeated the substance of my arguments from my first emails, which had been totally ignored by all and sundry, and added one or two further cogent and extremely pertinent arguments and observations and with an added element of 'reverse psychology' thrown in for good measure.

Two days later I was surprised to receive a reply and much to my astonishment, I must admit, the unsigned e-mail (the one mentioned back at the top of this post), stated "We have returned your listing ....... We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Regards, " ! Victory and hooray ! I knew I was right all along ! Well done to me ! And also, let's not be churlish about it, well done to Ebay too !

I was exceedingly surprised that Ebay finally admitted they were wrong. Throughout the whole process I got the distinct impression that nobody was taking a blind bit of notice of what I was saying and that in fact nobody was reading my e-mails. I seemed to be dealing with a computerized system that merely churned out the next reply that it was programmed to churn out. I was also aware that people have been banned from Ebay for listing stuff they shouldn't and I didn't want this to happen to me as Ebay is actually at the moment (IMHO) the only really viable online auction site. But I was determined to see it through to the bitter end and eventually I either wore the computer down (!) or somebody actually took the time to read my e-mail and decided to look into the matter and decided that the actual facts of the situation proved that I was right!

The Ebay customer support definitely needs looking into as their responses are generally not responses at all, only regurgitations of their previous e-mails., which merely serve to obfuscate and exasperate, they rarely contain any useful information! But, I have to admit, at least someone (or something?) did eventually sort the matter out, and I am now a bona fide and unblemished member of the Ebay community again! It's just a pity it took so long and caused so much frustration and aggravation along the way.

Monday, March 19

Apart from Ebay, the other place to look for collectable books or in fact books of any kind is AbeBooks. They have over 80 million books on offer from dealers all around the world. They also have a search system which will find you just about whatever you're looking for, provided it exists.

Also, as AbeBooks is the recognized online market leader you can get a good idea if the price you see on Ebay is a good price or not and how high you should go in your bidding. I have seen people buy books on Ebay that they could buy cheaper on AbeBooks! Bear in mind however that AbeBooks is a good reference source and also a good place for finding books you may not be able to find elsewhere, but, despite the odd exception as mentioned above, the prices tend to be higher than on Ebay. Some of the prices being asked are in fact outrageous, given that you can buy the same book for half the price or less with another seller.

If, for example, you do a search on signed first editions of Eragon by Christopher Paolini (the original first edition published by Paolini) - there are currently 15 copies on offer, with prices ranging from 9,000 USD down to 1,250 USD - quite a difference! Clearly the condition of the books may not be the same in all cases, so you need to look closely at the details to see which book represents the best deal and at the same time don't forget to check out prices on EBay.

It is also sometimes possible to find a book on AbeBooks which is being sold for less than the prices currently being paid on Ebay. This is because some books on Ebay tend to be 'flavour of the month' and you sometimes get a bandwagon or 'me too' effect which drives the prices higher.

So all in all AbeBooks is an excellent starting point for research into prices and information to enable you to spot genuine first editions and distinguish them from the 'imaginative' first editions you sometimes find on Ebay.

Saturday, March 17

Ebay is the easiest way to find collectable books on the Internet and also offers some of the best bargains. You can often find books on Ebay at half the price they would be with a more traditional online bookseller. Here are some recent prices :-Paolini - Eragon signed First Edition - 908 USDPullman - Amber Spyglass signed First Edition - 71 UKPPullman - Clockwork signed First Edition - 157 UKPPullman - Subtle Knife signed Firt Edition - 199 UKPRowling - HP & Goblet of Fire signed First Edition - 77 UKPStephen King - The Regulators signed Ltd Ed. - 360 UKPStephen King - Cujo signed Ltd Edition - 339.99 UKPCornelia Funke - Inkspell signed Ltd Edition - 39.99 UKPBeatrix Potter - Tale of Mr Tod First Edition - 102 UKPPratchett - Sourcery signed First Edition - 127 UKP

These are all modern first editions, with the exception of Beatrix Potter, there are lots more first editions in other categories - Hemingway, Steinbeck, Dickens etc... and other even older books e.g. Lectura super primo sententiarum - Rare incunabula-1490 which sold for 1,724 UKP - and was probably a bargain!

There are of course other 'proper' auction houses where you might be able to sell any bargains you find on Ebay. It's only slightly more complicated but there is a chance you would get a higher price for anything you are selling. To have a look at other stuff on offer at Ebay check this out :- The Small Business Marketplace